Napoleon III Giltwood Fire Screen with Japanese Garden Motif
Napoleon III giltwood fire screen, c. 1870, faux bamboo and gilt frame supported by four sabre legs, screen with later fabric, both sides depicting a different Japanese garden with birds, butterflies and blossoms, height 46.46 in., width 29.33 in., depth 13.78 in. Provenance: Ben Stoner Antiques, Sydney
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- Faux - A French word meaning "false", but when used in decorative arts, the intention is not to deceive, but to simulate the decorative effects of the more expensive material it is imitating. The term " faux bois" meaning "false wood" refers to a furniture item that has been decorated with a marked grain (woodgrain finish) to imitate a more expensive timber.
- Giltwood - Giltwood is used to describe a gold finish on furniture and other decorative wooden items, whereby a thin sheet of gold metal, called gold leaf, is applied to the surface for decorative purposes.
Unlike gilding, where the gold leaf is applied over a coating of gesso, with giltwood the gold leaf is applied direct to the surface, or over a coat of linseed oil gold leaf adhesive.
Most gold-finished mirrors will be gilded, whereas furniture with gold highlights will have the gold applied through the giltwood method.
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